Conventional methods for controlling vending operations of an automatic vending machine is based on information obtained from printed bar code data on a label read by a code reader (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,487). Such bar codes include information needed for inputting preliminary data for reading further information and inputting instructions for vending operations. Since such bar-coded data may be input easily without any sophisticated keyboard operations, any untrained personnel may operate the machine in inputting such data.
However, conventional approaches to the management of the vending information of article in a vending machine are based on the information regarding the article columns, and not on the information on each article. For example, correspondence between each of the articles and respective article selection switch has been established by associating the column containing the article with the switch, as disclosed in Japanese Early Publication 63-90796). Other sales information, e.g. the amount of articles sold is also based on the record provided for the corresponding article column, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Early Publication 56-108187. Consequently, erroneous operation, and hence erroneous sales management, may occur if the correspondence between the column and the article is not established correctly.